Coming Back to the Church

If you have been away from the Catholic Church we invite you to consider returning. It is never too late to come home...

No matter what your reason for drifting away from practicing your faith, God’s mercy is so much greater. Your reason for leaving may come from great hurt. If so, the healing love of God is waiting for you. Perhaps you have questions about what returning will mean for your life? The Church has answers.

Jesus told a story to illustrate how God the Father responds when one of his children – and you are one of his children – squanders his inheritance.

In Luke 15 we find the story of the Prodigal Son, the son who disowns his father by demanding his inheritance and then wasting it on partying and immoral living. Then a famine strikes the country where he is partying and he runs out of money. Realizing how far he has fallen he decides to return home to tell his father how sorry he is for what he has done. He practices what could be called an Act of Contrition as he prepares to approach his father and ask him to allow him to return home, not as a son, but as one his father’s servants. As he approaches his home the story continues…

But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found."Luke 15:20-24

God the Father’s reaction when we waste our inheritance through neglect or sin is not to wave his finger and say “I knew he would do that” or “Too bad she will never be able to come home now.” No! He welcomes us with open arms and restores us as his children.

If you’re a Catholic and you’ve been away for a while, then usually all you need to do is go to Confession to return to the practice of your faith. We encourage you to talk to a priest, deacon, or parish staff to find out if there is anything else you need to do and to help you connect with other members of our parish.

Come home to the Father’s arms. We’d love to have you among us as we follow Jesus!